July 24, 2015 /3BL Media/ - Waltham, Mass. -- The Senate added an amendment to Bill 1973 – an act providing for the establishment of a comprehensive adaptation management plan in response to climate change -- that proposes to raise the Massachusetts solar net metering cap.

National Grid Massachusetts President Marcy L. Reed commented on the Senate’s action:

“While we are supportive of efforts to address climate change, the State Senate added provisions that would expand the amount of subsidies for solar development, and we are concerned that it will require the vast majority of our Massachusetts electric customers to fund this expansion of subsidized solar development through increased monthly electric bills. Rather than address the issue of having the most lucrative solar subsidies in the country, today's action only postpones any meaningful effort to more equitably encourage solar development in the Commonwealth.

“National Grid believes in the importance and value of solar in Massachusetts, at the right price. However, due to the combined costs of the state’s solar program and net metering, we strongly believe that raising the caps on net metering will add hundreds of millions of dollars to non- solar customer bills and is not in the best interest of our electricity customers who – even without raising the net metering caps any higher -- will experience a $1.5 billion rate impact over the next five years. Raising net metering caps is unnecessary for continued solar development in Massachusetts, as evidenced by the volume of solar applications National Grid continues to receive after reaching our net metering cap. On behalf of our customers, we continue to advocate for the development of a sustainable set of policies to continue the growth of solar in Massachusetts without paying some of the highest subsidies in the nation.”

National Grid in Massachusetts was named among the top utilities in the country connecting the most megawatts of solar energy in the United States in 2014, earning a spot on the Solar Electric Power Association’s (SEPA’s) Top 10 annual utility solar listings. In survey results released this spring, National Grid ranked No. 5 on the Annual Solar Megawatts Interconnected by Utility list, connecting 123 megawatts (MW) of solar to the grid in Massachusetts in 2014. National Grid also scored the No. 7 spot on the Annual Interconnections by Utility list, connecting 5,270 new solar customers in MA last year.

About National Grid

National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE: NGG) is an electricity and natural gas delivery company that connects nearly 7 million customers to vital energy sources through its networks in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the Northeast. National Grid also operates the systems that deliver gas and electricity across Great Britain.

Through its U.S. Connect21 strategy, National Grid is transforming its electricity and natural gas networks to support the 21st century digital economy with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions. Connect21 is vital to our communities' long-term economic and environmental health and aligns with regulatory initiatives in New York (REV: Reforming the Energy Vision) and Massachusetts (Grid Modernization).